**Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra Approach Bombay High Court Over Rs 60 Crores Cheating FIR**
Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra have approached the Bombay High Court seeking to quash a Rs 60-crore cheating case registered against them by the Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
The case arises from a complaint filed by Deepak Kothari, director of Lotus Capital Financial Services Ltd, a non-banking financial company (NBFC). Kothari alleged that between 2015 and 2023, the couple, through an agent named Rajesh Arya, induced him to invest Rs 60 crores in their now-defunct company, Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd. According to the complaint, instead of using the funds for business purposes, the amount was misappropriated for personal benefits.
As per the FIR, a meeting took place in 2015 at a five-star hotel in Juhu, attended by Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra, Arya, and Kothari. During this meeting, the couple reportedly presented themselves as directors of Best Deal TV and requested a business loan, assuring Kothari of monthly returns along with repayment of the principal amount. The funds were routed as an “investment” to avoid higher taxation, the complaint stated.
Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra’s legal team have countered these allegations, claiming that the FIR was lodged based on false and distorted facts. They have described the complaint as “maliciously filed with an ulterior and malafide motive to extort money.” Shilpa Shetty herself has stated that she was not involved in the company’s day-to-day affairs and was associated with it only for a limited period.
The couple has argued that the dispute is essentially civil in nature, arising from a failed business venture and investment loss, further exacerbated by economic downturns such as demonetisation.
The Bombay High Court heard the couple’s plea on Monday and directed them to provide a copy of their petitions to the complainant, Deepak Kothari. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on November 20. Additionally, the couple has sought protection from any coercive action or filing of a chargesheet pending the disposal of their petitions.
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